UPDATE – QUEEN’S PLATE DRAW
FIELD and POSTS
Horse Owner Trainer Jockey
1 El Brujo Windways Farm Malcolm Pierce Emma-Jayne Wilson 15-1
2 Flip For The Coin Molinaro Stable Vito Armata Emile Ramsammy 30-1
3 Active Duty Woodford Racing Mark Casse Corey Fraser 20-1
4 Milwaukee Appeal CEC Farms Scott Fairlie Stewart Elliott 3-1
5 Mr. Foricos Two U Annecchini & D’Alimonte Catherine Day Phillips Mike Smith 15-1
6 Reservoir Goldie Stables & Weila Ye Julia Carey Jim McAleney 20-1
7 Eye Of The Leopard Sam-Son Farm Mark Frostad Eurico Rosa Da Silva 7-2
8 Rapid Release Dolantori Racing Roger Attfield Jono Jones 8-1
9 Bucephalus Knob Hill Stable Kevin Attard Tyler Pizzaro 20-1
10 Stardust Ziggy UNstable Lorna Perkins Jerry Baird 20-1
11 Tasty Temptation Woodford Racing Mark Casse Patrick Husbands 4-1
12 Shut It Down K.K. Sangara Lorne Richards Russell Baze 20-1
13 Keino West Track West Racing Steve Attard Gerry Olguin 15-1
Supplements for $25K are Reservoir, tasty Temptation and Milwaukee Appeal
Blinkers on – Bucephalus
COSTALIVIN OUT OF PLATE
Down to 13 for the Plate – read more below and stayed tuned for updates.
In today’s news – Woodbine accident, Queen’s Plate post draw today, Wesley Ward takes Ascot….
TORONTO STAR REPORT:
BECKON AT SUNNYBROOK,
HUSBANDS AT ETOBICOKE
Jockeys hurt in Woodbine spill
– A horrific accident at Woodbine racetrack last night has left two jockeys injured and one horse dead.
Chad Beckon, riding Gus Schickedanz’s Oliver’s Strike, was rushed to Sunnybrook Hospital after his horse took a bad step a quarter of a mile from the finish of the third race and fell. Oliver’s Strike appeared to roll over Beckon just before jockey Simon Husbands, riding Kensington Oval, fell over Oliver’s Strike and appeared to clip Beckon.
Husbands was taken to Etobicoke General Hospital. Early reports on the jockeys’ conditions were that both were conscious and moving their extremities.
“Chad’s horse just took a bad step,” said head steward Richard Grubb. “There was nothing that (Husbands) could do as he was following right behind him.”
Oliver’s Strike emerged from the accident with two broken front legs and was euthanized while Kensington Oval got up and was generally unscathed.
Beckon, 28, began riding full-time at Woodbine this season after five years at Fort Erie. He’s married to jockey Cory Clark and is the son of Dan Beckon, one of the top riders of the 1980s. Husbands has been riding at Woodbine for almost 10 years.
The rest of the race card continued after the accident.
The accident marred 3rd race delayed the Woodbine card quite a bit. The 3rd was won by TUTTA BUONA GENTE, a 3yo Aldebaran colt for Haras Santa Maria de Araras and trainer Roger Attfield. One of 2 winners for Jim McAleney. Norm Files photo.
It was a dreadful night in the rain and wind but there were lots of cool finishes. Here, PLURIES, ridden by David Garcia, wins the 6th race for maidens, $32,000, by a head. Nick Gonzalez trains for Etarip Stables. The 4yo colt was 1st time in a maiden claimer and coming back from a 13th place finish. Norm Files photo.
QUEEN’S PLATE ENTRIES CLOSE AT 8:30
DRAW AT 9:30
Stay tuned to THOROUGHBLOG FOR POSTS, PUBLISHED HERE!
TORONTO STAR REPORTS:
SAM-SON TO GO COMMERCIAL
Leopard win would provde many skins
Eye of the Leopard will be the 36th Queen’s Plate starter for historic Sam-Son Farms’ on Sunday at Woodbine but its first in four years.
The runners are a little fewer and farther between for the famed farm these days and for the first time in its history, Sam-Son will offer some of its prized yearlings for sale this summer. A group of five youngsters, including a colt by world class sire A.P. Indy, (the daddy of Eye of the Leopard) will be auctioned off at the prestigious Saratoga yearling sale on August 10.
“It’s a big change for us,” said Rick Balaz, who has taken over Sam-Son managing duties since the passing of his wife Tammy Balaz, daughter of the late Sam-Son founders Ernie and Elizabeth Samuel. “We are in the same boat as everyone else when it comes to the economy and there are a lot of farm expenses to pay. We want to keep our numbers down.” Balaz, who runs Sam-Son along with Ernie Samuel’s son Mark and daughter Kim and Balaz’s children Michael and Lisa, said the farm has cut down its racing stable from 37 in 2008 to about 25 this year.
“Late last year we decided to go a bit more commercial,” said Balaz. “I believe there is an opportunity to turn a profit in the industry. But we have fun racing and will always do that.”
The family could have a lot of fun on Sunday with the lightly raced Eye of the Leopard, its best chance to win since 2001 when the filly Dancethruthedawn became its fourth Plate winner. Eye of the Leopard, a giant and playful colt, won the Plate Trial Stakes three weeks ago under the coaching of Sam-Sons longtime trainer Mark Frostad and it is apparent there is more untapped potential. “He’s still a big, goofy kid right now,” said Frostad, who has added to his own training stable with several new clients for 2009.
“He’ll get better as he goes along. He doesn’t have a whole lot of seasoning but his last two races have been terrific.” In the Trial, Eye of the Leopard, under popular rider Eurico Rosa Da Silva, raced wide throughout the 1 1/8 miles but rallied to win by a neck over the exciting Southdale, a colt many thought was a Plate favourite until that one was injured.
The addition of blinkers to the colt’s equipment, said Frostad, has made the studdish colt more focussed. “He’s just continued to develop and understand what he’s doing more and more. And Eurico is full of confidence when it comes to this colt.” Eye of the Leopard, produced from Sam-Son’s Woodbine Oaks winning mare Eye of the Sphynx, is expected to be one of 14 3-year-olds entered today at the post position draw for the $1 million Plate.
PROBABLE FIELD
Horse Owner Trainer Jockey
Active Duty Woodford Racing Mark Casse Corey Fraser
Bucephalus Knob Hill Stable Kevin Attard Tyler Pizzaro
Costalivin Jam Jar Racing Stable John Ross Luis Contreras
El Brujo Windways Farm Malcolm Pierce Emma-Jayne Wilson
Eye Of The Leopard Sam-Son Farm Mark Frostad Eurico Rosa Da Silva
Flip For The Coin Molinaro Stable Vito Armata Emile Ramsammy
Keino West Track West Racing Steve Attard Gerry Olguin
Milwaukee Appeal CEC Farms Scott Fairlie Stewart Elliott
Mr. Foricos Two U Annecchini & D’Alimonte Catherine Day Phillips Mike Smith
Rapid Release Dolantori Racing Roger Attfield Jono Jones
Reservoir Goldie Stables & Weila Ye Julia Carey Jim McAleney
Shut It Down K.K. Sangara Lorne Richards Russell Baze
Stardust Ziggy UNstable Lorna Perkins Jerry Baird
Tasty Temptation Woodford Racing Mark Casse Patrick Husbands
TOO RAPID? Trainer Roger Attfield was not happy with the final Plate workout by RAPID RELEASE yesterday when the gelding was joined by another horse and went in 48 and change for 4 furlongs.
Read drf.com for a report by Bill Tallon.
The chestnut is by Action This Day and was bought in Europe.
www.horse-races.net photo.
GUELPH MERCURY REPORTS:
MILWAUKEE LIKELY TO GO
Breslau horse may be in Queen’s Plate
by Mark Bryson
Milwaukee Appeal is expected to run against the boys Sunday in the 150th running of the Queen’s Plate.
“Yes, I think she will,” the filly’s owner, Eugene George, said yesterday. “The trainer (Scott Fairlie) would like to run the horse and I’m leaving it up to him. He’s with the horse every day and I hire him to call the shots. And while I challenge him, I don’t second-guess him.
“My son Ted talked with him (yesterday) and he said that he’d like to run the filly.”
The draw for the $1-million race will be held today at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. The 1 1/4-mile race will be televised on CBC with a 5:36 p.m. post time.
http://news.guelphmercury.com/Sports/article/496971
WESLEY WARD TAKES ASCOT
(WITH A FILLY OUT OF WOODBINE RUNNER CHI SA!)
JEALOUS AGAIN took the QUEEN MARY STAKES (GROUP 2) yesterday at Royal Ascot for American trainer Wesley Ward.
A 2yo filly out of a Bold Ruckus mare – CHI SA was bred by Bonny Acres in Ontario and raced and Woodbine with late trainer Buddy Carter, JEALOUS AGAIN was bred in Florida by Harold Plumley.
WARD made history with 2 wins at Ascot in the last 2 days including 33 to 1 shot STRIKE THE TIGER, a 2yo by Toger Ridge.
from the Sporting Life:
American trainer Wesley Ward and jockey John Velazquez followed up their shock victory on the opening day of Royal Ascot with further success courtesy of Jealous Again in the Queen Mary Stakes.
The pair broke new ground when claiming the Windsor Castle Stakes with 33-1 shot Strike The Tiger on Tuesday, and Jealous Again was a well-backed 13-2 shot to supplement that victory over the minimum trip.
Bursting out of the stalls, Jealous Again had far too much speed for the opposition and had them all toiling from a long way out.
